Tangerang to claim back Cipondoh lake

Tangerang to claim back Cipondoh lake

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Located in the center of the quickly growing Tangerang
municipality, the once beautiful Lake Cipondoh now looks like an
abandoned swamp, ringed by shanties and shacks.

In five years, illegal reclamation and occupation of the
lake's banks have narrowed Cipondoh from 170 hectares to 126
hectares.

Hidden among semi-permanent buildings and shanties, an
announcement board states that the lake belongs to West Java
province and that it is managed by developer PT Grya Tri Tunggal
Paksi.

However, this claim of ownership is being disputed by
Tangerang municipality, which was part of West Java until being
merged into the newly formed Banten province in 2000.

"What has the West Java administration done to conserve the
lake? To us, the local residents, it seems that they only want to
conserve the water hyacinths," Chandra Eka told The Jakarta Post,
referring to the clumps of wild plants covering the lake surface.

Another resident, Budi Sabarudin, who often goes fishing with
friends at the lake, said there was a time when large numbers of
fishermen were drawn Cipondoh.

"But the lake has long been neglected ... it has lost its
beauty," he said.

Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim said Lake Cipondoh, by law,
belonged to the municipality.

"According to Law No. 23/2000 on the formation of Banten
province, the West Java administration was required to transfer
control of all assets in Banten, including Lake Cipondoh, one
year after the province was formed," he told the Post during a
recent interview.

However, the West Java administration previously appointed PT
Grya to manage the lake for 30 years. The developer was appointed
on the understanding that it would convert the lake into a
recreational area, while maintaining its function as a water
catchment area.

"Look at the condition of the lake. We have to save it. We are
now preparing legal measures to settle the lake's ownership
status," Wahidin said, adding that he had asked the Banten
provincial council to take part in the legal battle.

Members of the provincial council have summoned PT Grya to
explain the sorry state of the lake.

"Moreover, we heard the company reportedly put up the lake as
collateral for a Rp 150 billion loan," said Zaenal Abidin Sujai,
chairman of the council's Commission A for development.

Banten Governor Djoko Munandar said his office had begun
exploring options for taking over control of Lake Cipondoh from
the West Java administration and handing the lake over to the
Tangerang municipality.

"We plan to build an Islamic boarding school near
the lake ... we will find a way to get it back," he said.